Charging device, process cartridge, image forming apparatus, and cleaning member

Abstract

A charging device includes a charging member that gives an electric charge to an object to be charged by contacting the object, and a cleaning member that cleans the charging member by contacting the charging member. The cleaning member includes a base formed of a polymer material having a foamed structure and a covering film. The covering film is formed of a mixture of a resin having a crosslinked structure and electroconductive particles and covers, near a surface of the base, a structural wall of the formed structure.

1 . A charging device comprising:
 a charging member that gives an electric charge to an object to be charged by contacting the object; and   a cleaning member that cleans the charging member by contacting the charging member,   wherein the cleaning member comprises a base formed of a polymer material having a foamed structure and a covering film that is formed of a mixture of a resin having a crosslinked structure and electroconductive particles and that covers, near a surface of the base, a structural wall of the formed structure.   
   
   
       2 . The charging device according to  claim 1 , wherein the resin has, as the crosslinked structure, a 3-dimensional crosslinked structure formed by chemical reaction of functional groups chemically reacting by at least one of heat, a light and an electron beam. 
   
   
       3 . The charging device according to  claim 1 , wherein the electroconductive particles are carbon black. 
   
   
       4 . The charging device according to  claim 1 , wherein a degree of crosslinking of the covering film, which represents a weight proportion, based on the weight of the resin in the covering film, of a crosslinking component forming the crosslinked structure, is 65% or more. 
   
   
       5 . The charging device according to  claim 1 , wherein pores exposed to the surface of the base have an average size in the range of 100 μm to 1.0 mm. 
   
   
       6 . The charging device according to  claim 1 , wherein the cleaning member is in the form of a roll. 
   
   
       7 . The charging device according to  claim 1 , wherein the resin comprises at least one selected from among a group consisting of a polyurethane resin, a polyester resin, an acrylic resin, an epoxy resin, and a polyamide resin. 
   
   
       8 . A process cartridge comprising:
 an image carrier;   a charging member that gives an electric charge to the image carrier by contacting the image carrier; and   a cleaning member that cleans the charging member by contacting the charging member and that comprises a base formed of a polymer material having a foamed structure and a covering film, the covering film being formed of a mixture of a resin with a crosslinked structure and electroconductive particles and covering, near the surface of the base, a structural wall of the formed structure.   
   
   
       9 . An image forming apparatus comprising:
 an image carrier;   a charging member that gives an electric charge to the image carrier by contacting the image carrier;   a cleaning member that cleans the charging member by contacting the charging member and that comprises a base formed of a polymer material having a foamed structure and a covering film, the covering film being formed of a mixture of a resin having a crosslinked structure and electroconductive particles and covering, near the surface of the base, a structural wall of the formed structure;   an image forming section that forms an electrostatic latent image on the image carrier and develops the electrostatic latent image thereby forming a developed image; and   a transfer fixing section that transfers the developed image from the image carrier and fixes the transferred image to a recording medium.   
   
   
       10 . A cleaning member comprising:
 a base formed of a polymer material having a foamed structure; and   a covering film that is formed of a mixture of a resin having a crosslinked structure and electroconductive particles and that covers, near the surface of the base, a structural wall of the formed structure.   
   
   
       11 . The cleaning member according to  claim 10 , wherein the resin has, as the crosslinked structure, a 3-dimensional crosslinked structure formed by chemical reaction of functional groups chemically reacting by at least one of heat, a light and an electron beam. 
   
   
       12 . The cleaning member according to  claim 10 , wherein the electroconductive particles are carbon black. 
   
   
       13 . The cleaning member according to  claim 10 , wherein a degree of crosslinking of the covering film, which represents a weight proportion, based on the weight of the resin in the covering film, of a crosslinking component forming the crosslinked structure, is 65% or more. 
   
   
       14 . The cleaning member according to  claim 10 , wherein pores exposed to the surface of the base have an average size in the range of 100 μm to 1.0 mm. 
   
   
       15 . The cleaning member according to  claim 10 , defined as being in the form of a roll. 
   
   
       16 . The cleaning member according to  claim 10 , wherein the resin comprises at least one selected from among a group consisting of a polyurethane resin, a polyester resin, an acrylic resin, an epoxy resin, and a polyamide resin.